Tag Archives: five-passenger

5 American Classics from Bonhams

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1923 Dort 25-K Five-Passenger Sport Touring

Offered by Bonhams | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | October 5, 2015

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Like Moon, Dort was an automobile manufacturer from the 1920s that featured solid rims on a lot of their cars. It was a company that was co-founded by Billy Durant (and Josiah Dort) as the Flint Road Cart Company in the 1880s. Dort started building cars in 1917 (Durant had already jumped ship). Josiah Dort died in 1923 and 1924 was the final year for Dort automobiles.

The 25-K is powered by a 3.2-liter straight-six. It was Dort’s big car and the five-passenger Sport Touring was one of eight body styles offered. This particular car was once owned by William Harrah and JB Nethercutt. It should sell for between $20,000-$30,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $18,700.

1917 Briscoe Model B 4-24 Touring

Offered by Bonhams | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | October 5, 2015

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Benjamin Briscoe was a big name in the early days of the automotive industry. He was the first major shareholder of Buick. He was half of Maxwell for a time as well. He founded his own car company in 1914 after the failure of the United States Motor Company – an early conglomerate of manufacturers, a sort of precursor to General Motors.

Briscoe built four-cylinder cars through 1921. This 24 horsepower example sports five-passenger touring body style that is simple yet attractive. Briscoes are pretty rare today and for $18,000-$24,000, this is a good chance to acquire a piece of motoring history. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $28,600.

1908 International Model A Runabout

Offered by Bonhams | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | October 5, 2015

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

International Harvester is best known for their agricultural equipment and tractors. Today, as Navistar International, they build trucks. But when they first got in to road-going vehicles, high-wheelers were their strong suit. Their 1907 vehicles were very basic, but this 1908 is a little more advanced.

The Model A was the only model offered in 1908 – in runabout form only (be it two or four passenger, like this one). This car uses a flat-twin making 14 horsepower. It’s all original, which is amazing because these cars were popular in the most rural of areas. This one should bring between $40,000-$50,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $74,800.

1919 Cleveland Model 40 Two-Passenger Roadster

Offered by Bonhams | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | October 5, 2015

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

There have been more than a handful of automobile companies that carried the name “Cleveland.” All of them were based in – you guessed it – Cleveland, Ohio. This Cleveland (the longest-running company with that name) built cars that were essentially smaller versions of the Chandler (and Chandler denied any relation). The company popped up in 1919 and lasted through 1926.

The Model 40 was built in 1919 and 1920 and uses a six-cylinder engine making 45 horsepower. That’s a lot, actually, considering that this example exists in two-passenger Roadster form. It’s a hot rod – tiny and powerful. Only 4,836 examples of the Model 40 were built and this one should provide its new owner with some inexpensive fun for between $15,000-$25,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $7,700.

1916 Mecca Thirty Touring

Offered by Bonhams | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | October 5, 2015

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Jackpot. We love when cars like this come up for sale. If you’ve been following along, we’ve featured a couple of batches of rare, old American cars from manufacturers that weren’t around for very long. And this one was not around long at all – just two model years. The first year was a stillborn cyclecar. Series production occurred in 1916 only.

This car, with its 3.1-liter straight-four making 23 horsepower, sports a five-passenger touring body style – the largest offered by Mecca. This is thought to be the only surviving Mecca automobile. A rare treat indeed. It should bring between $15,000-$25,000. Click here for more info and here for more from Bonhams.

Update: Sold $13,200.

Dort Touring

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1923 Dort 25-K Five-Passenger Sport Touring

Offered by Bonhams | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | October 5, 2015

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Like Moon, Dort was an automobile manufacturer from the 1920s that featured solid rims on a lot of their cars. It was a company that was co-founded by Billy Durant (and Josiah Dort) as the Flint Road Cart Company in the 1880s. Dort started building cars in 1917 (Durant had already jumped ship). Josiah Dort died in 1923 and 1924 was the final year for Dort automobiles.

The 25-K is powered by a 3.2-liter straight-six. It was Dort’s big car and the five-passenger Sport Touring was one of eight body styles offered. This particular car was once owned by William Harrah and JB Nethercutt. It should sell for between $20,000-$30,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $18,700.

Templar Touring

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1924 Templar 4-45 Five-Passenger Touring

Offered by Bonhams | Amelia Island, Florida | March 12, 2015

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

This is a very good looking car. It may appear to be just another Jazz Age touring car, but there’s something about it that is drawing me in. Templar Motors Corporation was a Cleveland-based automobile company that built cars between 1917 and 1924. Templar built only three models and the 4-45 was the main one, being the only car offered between 1919 and 1923. 1924 was the final year and they tried to add a Six, but went bankrupt.

The car was billed as the “Super-Fine Small Car” and it uses a 3.2-liter straight-four putting out 43 horsepower. The engineering is what set this car apart – but it also made it very expensive for how small it was. $2,900 in 1921 for a convertible. You could have a car of similar size for less than a grand at the time.

It sort of priced itself out of business (and suffered a massive factory fire) and only about 6,000 cars in total were built. This is perhaps the nicest example there is of the few that are left. This one could bring between $40,000-$60,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $60,500.

Update II: Not sold, Bonhams, Greenwich 2016.

1925 Star Sedan

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1925 Star Model F-25 Sedan

Offered by Auctions America | Auburn, Indiana | August 29, 2014

Photo - Auctions America

Photo – Auctions America

There have been quite a few car companies going by the name “Star,” but only one was founded by Billy Durant after he left GM. It was an assembled car, built using pieces made by other manufacturers. The Star was the affordable line of Durant Motors, built to compete against the Model T.

Production started in 1922 and the company was phased out in 1928. The four-cylinder model was dubbed “F-25” for 1925 only and it was the last year Star built only four-cylinder cars (a six was introduced alongside it for 1926).

This car has an older restoration, but it is simple and attractive. And usable. I saw a similar car for sale a few years ago for about $8,000 and not buying it remains one of my biggest automotive regrets. This one is nicer and should bring between $20,000-$30,000. Click here for more info and here for more from AA’s Auburn sale.

Update: Sold $8,250.

1913 Stevens-Duryea

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1913 Stevens-Duryea Model C-Six Five-Passenger Touring

Offered by RM Auctions | Monterey, California | August 16, 2014

Photo - RM Auctions

Photo – RM Auctions

The Stevens-Duryea was a car for millionaires. The Vanderbilts drove one – a C-Six to be exact (it’s still on display at the Biltmore and if you’ve been there, you’ll know that the car is huge). Stevens-Duryea was founded when J. Frank Duryea and his brother Charles developed what I can only imagine to resemble an Oasis-level brotherly feud. J. Frank left and designed his own car, which the J. Stevens Arms & Tool Company wanted to be part of. J. Frank, J. Stevens… was J. Geils there too? (Okay, enough musical jokes).

The C-Six was produced for 1913 and 1914 only. It was available in a number of body styles over two wheelbases and featured a 44.6 horsepower (44.8 for 1914!) 7.5-liter straight-six engine. The restoration on this car was completed in 2008 and the details are perfect – check out more pictures on RM’s website here.

The current owners acquired the car in 2010 and the car is described as running well. It is one of nine C-Sixes known to survive and it is fantastic. It should sell for between $200,000-$275,000. Click here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $302,500.

All-Original Stoddard-Dayton

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1911 Stoddard-Dayton Model 11A Five-Passenger Touring

Offered by Bonhams | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | October 7, 2013

1911 Stoddard-Dayton Model 11A Five-Passenger Touring

Stoddard-Dayton was one of the early bright spots on the American automobile landscape. The company was founded in Dayton, Ohio, in 1904 by Charles Stoddard using his family’s fortune acquired through various successful businesses. The cars were large, powerful and luxurious. Think Packard.

The company started using engines of their own design in 1907 and they won the first race held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 1909 (prior to the Indy 500). This Model 11A Five-Passenger Touring uses a 40 horsepower 7.1-liter straight-four. By 1912, they would be offering huge 70 horsepower engines.

But 1912 was a bad year for the company – they were sold to become part of the U.S. Motor Company, which failed. It was saved for one year when Maxwell put the cars back into production for 1913, but they were too large and expensive to be successful.

This example is entirely original, which is incredible as it is 102 years old. Even the paint is original (even though it’s basically worn through around most of the car). It has the same tool kit that came with it in 1911 and the interior remains the same as well, albeit covered up for protection. This is an amazing automobile that should bring between $125,000-$175,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $148,500.

Pierce “Great Arrow”

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1905 Pierce 28/32 Five-Passenger Roi-des-Belges

Offered by Bonhams | Greenwich, Connecticut | June 2, 2013

1905 Pierce 2832 Five-Passenger Roi-des-Belges Great Arrow

George N. Pierce’s automobile company began building internal-combustion automobiles in 1901. In 1903, a two-cylinder model was introduced and it was known as the Arrow. In 1904, Pierce shifted focus to larger, more luxurious cars – these were referred to as Great Arrows and, initially, they used four-cylinder engines. In 1908, Pierce became Pierce-Arrow.

This Great Arrow uses a 24/28hp straight-four of 3.8-liters. Six-cylinder engines would be used from 1907. This is an early Great Arrow with cast aluminium bodywork that was at least five years ahead of its time.

This particular car was discovered during World War II and restored – or “recommissioned” – under the ownership of Henry Austin Clark. In the 1990s, he sold it to another owner via the Imperial Palace Collection. This is the first time this car has ever come up for public sale. The car is in its 1950s restoration state. The seats are original, the paint 60+ years old. The engine was overhauled in the last 15 years.

The Great Arrow is the car that set Pierce on the path to becoming one of the most legendary luxury car manufacturers of all time. It is expected to sell for between $170,000-$220,000. Click here for more info and here for more from Bonhams in Connecticut.

Update: Sold $243,100.

1905 Fiat Touring Car

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1905 Fiat 60HP Five-Passenger Touring by Quinby & Co.

Offered by RM Auctions | Lake Como, Italy | May 25, 2013

1905 Fiat 60HP Five-Passenger Touring by Quinby & Co.

This car is massive in so many ways. One: it’s huge. Two: 60 horsepower in 1905 was a ton (or more specifically, add the expletive of your choice as a prefix to the word “ton”). The engine was massive. And the price? When new, in 1905, this thing – a rolling chassis only (without bodywork) – cost $13,500. Holy crap!

I guess it’s no surprise who owned these things then. Kaiser Wilhelm II bought two of them. This one was bought new by August Anheuser-Busch Sr. This is the short-chassis version. The engine is a whopping 10.6-liter straight-four (two pairs of two) making, well, 60 horsepower. It idles at 70 rpm! You can count each turn of the engine.

The car was delivered to the sole FIAT importer – in New York City – and then it was shipped to Newark, New Jersey, where J.M. Quinby & Co. applied this five-passenger touring body to it. It’s aluminium over wood with brass fittings. The price for the body? $4,000. Busch kept it for 30 years until his death and then the car started passing through hands of collectors, being acquired in 1973 by Louis Biondi of Connecticut who owned it until he passed away in 2012. The current owner had the car returned to running order. Other than that, it is entirely original.

Early, big horsepower cars like this are almost impossible to come by. This is the only example like this in existence (of about 20 produced, according to the lot description, which is possibly referring to the first generation of this model line – 1904/1905). The 60HP model was produced until 1909 and there were probably more made – as in an additional 66 over the final four years.

At any rate, this car is unbelievable. It is almost 110 years old and is entirely original and it runs and looks fantastic. Not to mention it is one of the most desirable early cars – restored or not. A huge opportunity. The price? No idea, as it is “estimate upon request.” Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

Update: Sold, RM Auctions, Hershey 2014: $825,000.

1904 Winton

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1904 Winton 4.25-Litre 20hp Detachable Rear-Entrance Tonneau

Offered by Bonhams | Brooklands, U.K. | December 3, 2012

Alexander Winton is one of my favorite automotive pioneers. He was also one of the first. By 1899, he was the largest automotive manufacturer in the United States. He sold early cars to prominent Americans and by 1903 a Winton became the first car to drive across the U.S. Winton automobiles had also thrown fuel on the entrepreneurial fires of Henry Ford and James Ward Packard.

This Five-Passenger Touring model uses the 20 horsepower twin-cylinder engine (a 24 horsepower twin-cylinder was also available). It was the last year for two-cylinder engines at Winton. The engine (a straight-two) is mounted flat and between the two axles.

It was purchased in the 1930s by a young man who found the car abandoned (in an old building owned by his father). He restored it as a teenager and was one of the first members of the Antique Automobile Club of America, which was founded in 1935. He sold the car in 2006 when the current owner bought it. It is believe to be one of seven 1904 Wintons in existence (of about 600 built that year). It has been refreshed in the past five years or so and is ready to go. The estimate is between $210,000-$240,000. For more information, click here. And for more from Bonhams’ sale at Mercedes-Benz World, click here.

Update: Sold $218,800.

Update II: Sold, Bonhams, London-to-Brighton 2015 $199,416.

1913 Alco Touring Car

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1913 Alco Six Model H Five-Passenger Touring

Offered by RM Auctions, Boca Raton, Florida, February 24-25, 2012

The American Locomotive Company was formed in 1901 as the result of a merger between eight smaller locomotive manufacturers. This made Alco the second-largest steam locomotive producer in the United States.

In 1906 the company began producing Berliet automobiles under license (as American Berliet). This license agreement was trashed in 1908 in favor building their own cars. Alco cars won the Vanderbilt Cup in 1909 and 1910 and competed in the inaugural Indianapolis 500 in 1911. Alco was also the first automobile company at which man named Walter P. Chrysler worked before he left in 1911 to join Buick.

In 1913 Alco shifted their focus back to locomotives (they had lost an average of over $450 on every car sold since 1906), producing their last steam locomotive in 1948 and final diesel locomotive in 1969.

The car seen here is a six-cylinder Model H from the final year of production. It is believed that this car was featured on the Alco stand at the 1913 New York Auto Show. It has 60 horsepower and after the completion of restoration in the mid-1990s, the car was “mechanically updated” in order to take place in brass-era tours. So it’s a driver.

Only six of these cars are known to exist and this one is a glorious example. There is something undeniably stately and imposing about large brass-era touring cars. The estimate on this car is $400,000-$600,000 and is offered from the Milhous Collection. For the complete catalog description, click here and to see all of the other interesting things available at this sale, click here.

Update: Sold $506,000.